SwimSAFER Week November 15-21, 2021.
As an advocate of water safety and learning to swim we are dedicated to helping families discover the joy of swimming but swim industry experts are concerned about an increase in drownings this Summer, as research revealed 54% of children are not learning to swim, with 27% forced out of lessons due to COVID restrictions and 28% unable to find class availability at their local swim school.
The SwimSAFER Report commissioned by one of our partners, Swim Australia, as part of the annual SwimSAFER Week, discovered only 37% of parents planned to enrol their child in official lessons within the next six months, with 29% planning to teach their child themselves.
Lifesaving lessons
The impact of children not learning to swim has far reaching consequences, not only for their safety but for the longevity of swimming as a sport and how many future swim heroes we will produce. There is a lot at stake if we don’t get children back learning to swim as soon as possible. The earlier you start water familiarisation the better, as the skills learned build upon each other at each stage of development. We believe every child should be taught to swim in a proper learning facility, unfortunately our research shows 29% of parents plan to teach their child to swim themselves. We support families having fun and helping children outside of lessons become more confident with their swimming skills but the right foundations need to be developed with trained professionals.
Spread the Word
The more children learning to swim the less drownings! That is a fact. But how can you help? Apart from making sure your children are benefitting from regular swimming lessons, you can help by spreading the word about swimming being everyone’s superpower. Let your friends and family know what a vital skill it is for all children to learn. Last year drownings in the most at risk under-fives increased by 108%. Learning to swim is a major preventative measure parents can take.
If you want to help less fortunate children afford swimming lessons, we are supporting Swim it Forward this year. For just $20 (tax deductible) or the cost of one swimming lesson, you will be helping those most at risk of drowning.